Edward G. Slingerland Knihy

This book systematically explores the personal spiritual ideal of wu-wei—translated as "effortless action"—in early Chinese thought. Edward Slingerland's analysis reveals that wu-wei embodies a broader set of metaphors related to a state of effortless ease and unself-consciousness, serving as a shared ideal for both Daoist and Confucian thinkers. He highlights a conceptual tension within this ideal, known as the "paradox of wu-wei," which raises the question of how one can consciously "try not to try." Methodologically, the work applies contemporary theories of conceptual metaphor to the study of early Chinese thought, offering insights that extend beyond this context. The exploration of wu-wei is pertinent to those interested in later East Asian religious thought and the Western "virtue-ethics" tradition. Additionally, the conceptual metaphor analysis and the principle of "embodied realism" provide a novel theoretical framework for comparative thought, religion, intellectual history, and the humanities. This work aims to introduce scholars in the humanities and social sciences to this methodology, demonstrating its application within a specific sub-field.

What Science Offers the Humanities examines some of the deep problems facing current approaches to the study of culture. It focuses especially on the excesses of postmodernism, but also acknowledges serious problems with postmodernism's harshest critics. In short, Edward Slingerland argues that in order for the humanities to progress, its scholars need to take seriously contributions from the natural sciences-and particular research on human cognition-which demonstrate that any separation of the mind and the body is entirely untenable. The author provides suggestions for how humanists might begin to utilize these scientific discoveries without conceding that science has the last word on morality, religion, art, and literature. Calling into question such deeply entrenched dogmas as the "blank slate" theory of nature, strong social constructivism, and the ideal of disembodied reason, What Science Offers the Humanities replaces the human-sciences divide with a more integrated approach to the study of culture.

A deeply original exploration of the power of spontaneity - and why it's essential to our wellbeing, both as individuals and as a society.

A deep dive into the alcohol-soaked origins of civilization - and the evolutionary roots of humanity's appetite for intoxication.